response

American  

[ri-spons] / rɪˈspɒns /

noun

• responses
  plural

1. an answer or reply, as in words or in some action.

   Synonyms:

   rejoinder

2. Biology. any behavior of a living organism that results from an external or internal stimulus.

3. Ecclesiastical.

   1. a verse, sentence, phrase, or word said or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant.

   2. responsory.

4. Bridge. a bid based on an evaluation of one's hand relative to the previous bid of one's partner.

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response British  

/ rɪˈspɒns /

noun

1. the act of responding; reply or reaction

2. bridge a bid replying to a partner's bid or double

3. (usually plural) Christianity a short sentence or phrase recited or sung by the choir or congregation in reply to the officiant at a church service

4. electronics the ratio of the output to the input level, at a particular frequency, of a transmission line or electrical device

5. any pattern of glandular, muscular, or electrical reactions that arises from stimulation of the nervous system

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response Scientific  

/ rĭ-spŏns′ /

1. A reaction, as that of an organism or any of its parts, to a specific stimulus.

2. See more at classical conditioning

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Synonym Usage

See answer.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• counterresponse
  noun
• responseless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• responses
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of response

First recorded in 1250–1300; from Latin respōnsum, noun use of neuter past participle of respondēre “to reply, answer”; replacing Middle English respounse, from Middle French respons, from Latin, as above; see respond

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Explanation

A response is a reaction to a question, experience, or some other type of stimulus. If you cry at sad movies, you're having an emotional response to the drama that's taking place on the screen. A response can come in many forms, including an answer to a question, an emotional reaction, or a reply. If a teacher asks, "Who invented the phonograph?" She hopes her students will give her the response, "Why, Thomas Edison, of course!" When a parent tells a child not to cross the street when the light is red, he hopes the response will be compliance.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

response responses

One response involves the excessive activation of CD8+ T cells, immune cells that normally help the body destroy infected or abnormal cells.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

The BBC has approached the Egyptian consulate in London for a response.

From BBC ● Oct. 17, 2026

The key news, however, was the suspension of buybacks in response to ongoing discussions with the ECB, which is asking for more conservatism from Nordea on its new models that calculate credit risk.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

While Jeanie is trying to block her five siblings from selling the team, the new response filed in L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

But when Malone first called Crandell to ask him for advice, Crandell’s response was hardly what he was expecting.

From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone

To that, as to many of the negative responses, especially in our peculiarly sickly times, it is possible simply to respond, “Yes, isn’t that great?”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 16, 2026

In English, the models tended to favor more individualistic and analytical responses, while in Chinese, they placed greater emphasis on relationships and broader context.

From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026

This improvement suggested that the hippocampus was showing signs of neural plasticity, the brain's ability to change its responses through experience.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2026

The leader, who is in his final six months of office, has asked the government to come up with "concrete responses" within weeks to the unrest by high school pupils, spokeswoman Maud Bregeon told reporters.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

Musical movement responses in early childhood music education practice in the Netherlands.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

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